Chi Sau is the heart of Wing Chun. It is an exclusive training of Wing Chun system and you will find no similar in any other style or martial system. The purpose of the Chi Sau training is to develop attributes that will be used in the fight, in a playful exercise where the basic premise is the contact with the training partner in an exchange of positions and direction of energy (read, appropriate effort in direction and correct angles) in a predetermined manner, where several "hands" of the system can be used. It is an exercise that develops the reflex to the short distance, sensibility, sense of opportunity and its main premise, at least in our lineage, is to teach to cover spaces, acting without thinking about it, in automatic way.

It is extremely difficult to attempt to write about something that can only be fully understood in practice, but I will do my best so that the reader can understand some of the purpose of this training. Chi Sau is an exercise. It is a tool for developing skills. I've seen a lot of people using Chi Sau as a controlled form of fight . But that is not the purpose at all. The idea is to allow training to occur to both, in a fluid way. Believe me, friend reader, you will find everything there; From people who challenge other Wing Chun practitioners to a Chi Sau friendly match, even people who do Chi Sau with two training partners, one in each arm !!! I will not say who is right or wrong, but on the contrary, I ask the reader to use his common sense and analyze everything impartially; Read the article and draw your own conclusions; Whether I am right or not, there is only one way to know; Trying!

''Cycle''???In fact, it is not a "circular" or round movement, or something that refers to it. What is commonly called the '' cycle '' of Chi Sau in some schools is actually what is known in some schools as '' Luk Sau ''. The most common pattern of Luk Sau is; One hand Tan Sau / Bong Sau, this hand usually being right, through the inside door, while the other hand is in Fuk Sau, through the outside door. In some schools, it is called the '' right standard of luk sau ''.In some schools, you can see that to improve this '' turn by hands '', you, in the absence of a partner, train with a ring. Now notice; To keep the ring in your arms, you will have to press your '' edges '' outwards, to keep the ring in your arms, while turning Bong Sau / Tan Sau on both hands. Thus, your pressure exerted will not go forward, but rather outward, which breaks the idea of ​​Chung Chi - Energy forward. Therefore, the prerequisite of Chi Sau is to train with a living partner, not with machines or any other craftsman. In our lineage, we usually call Chi Sau or Double hands Chi Sau. Nothing else.

As previously stated, if you have a good positioning of both hands, correctly directing the pressure forward, in triangular wedges (from the base, and here we apply the concept of Chung Chi- Energy forward, once again), you will have a good control and will let you out with any technique. there are some details that not to leave the article too long I will not explain. But basically the idea is always to maintain your position properly while '' covering your technical faults '' before the training partner notices them.While we alternate the positions of our arms and hold them in the arms of the opponent, we must awaken our attention at all times not to fail and to give the necessary gap to the opponent. That is why Chi Sau is a very elaborate but at the same time dynamic and "organic" mental game.But to not only remain in position change, let's understand how we can make a simple attack, creating an opening using Pak Sau (seen in the form Siu nim Tau).

My student John (white shirt) and I are in Chi Sau, using what is called by some lineages as '' right standard of Chi Sau ''. At our school, we simply call it '' Chi Sau with two hands '', or the English '' Double hands Chi Sau ''. The emphasis here is on correct positioning of the elbows and energy (read effort with proper directionality and intensity) in the right direction so that we do not err and with that, the opponent has the chance to hit us, and at the same time through perception , try to make him make a mistake so that we can act before he realizes.

When we reverse the positioning, we must maintain these same prerequisites; Positioning, angles and energy going in the direction, with intensity and in the correct angle. Maintaining proper placement during training dynamics is the challenge.

all the more basic hands of the Wing Chun system can be placed within these more dynamic exercises. However, just as for every '' service '' you need the appropriate tool, everything in Wing Chun should be executed with the right purpose in the best way. Exemplifying; If you have a hammer and a screw, you are certainly trying to screw the part with the wrong tool. Better would be a screwdriver for the service. However, we can not say that they are not good tools, but we can say that there are the right tools for a given service. The simplest way sometimes turns out to be the most effective.In the same way, we know that Pak Sau can be put into Chi Sau properly, because there is a way to do this. The best way to apply Pak Sau (or see old stuff right here on the blog) in Chi Sau is to use it to create an opening when the opponent has a good positioning and does not give up their pressure.

In order to use Pak Sau, it is necessary for you to reach the position where your Bong Sau is well placed for the opponent's Fuk Sau and your Fuk Sau retaining control of the training partner Tan Sau, as exemplified in the photo above . When properly positioned, both practitioners can not be reached even if the energies are moving in the right direction, in opposite directions (here also applies the notion of frontal opposition,Doi Yeng, where both energies follow from different points going to the same point) , for this, it is necessary that an opening be "created".

I start the movement by turning my Bong Sau along with my horse in Joh Mah (digging or turning the horse) that is where the force will come from. Many tpeople hink that generating force in Chi Sau requires you to have strong arms. However, all the strength you will need will come from your horse, from your footwork. Notice that by this positioning, at the same time that I turn my base, my hand that was in Fuk Sau continues to control the Tan Sau of my training partner while he moves preparing the cover.

One of the best known concepts in Chi Sau is the '' One controls two ''. Which basically means that the practitioner will use one hand to control the two hands of the training partner while the other hand goes free forward. When I complete the turn from Bong Sau to Tan Sau (which may be associated with Bong Sau / Faan Tan Sau of the third part of the Siu Nim Tau form), along with my horse, my right hand has a free path to follow, at the same time as PAK (slap) coming at the same time, controlling both Tan Sau's hand right side of my training partner, how much to remove the Fuk Sau on the left side with the same slap.

Look; when advancing on Toy Mah (pushing horse) I keep glued to the training partner, while my free hand follows in full attack, not giving enough space for the training partner to have some reaction. My left hand has already freed the opponent's right hand with Pak and at the same time keeps in control his right hand already removed from the space where my blow is passing and reaching the plexus of the training partner, although not catching it .In general, the technique may be complemented by a "follow up", or proceeding with one or more techniques or attacks thereafter.

Now for each technique, there are at least 4 types of responses that can be performed to recover space, to stop or to redirect the attack coming from the training partner, if you have conditions and enough space to execute. The most basic one uses one of the most famous 'hands' of the system, called Kwan Sau. Kwan Sau has already been seen here on the blog and has at least four very basic variations; Kwan Sau jaming in Chi Sau with the intention of stopping the attack (which is what we will see now) or to open the opponent's guard when you are occupying the two doors inside, Kwan Sau to cover direct attacks on the face, with retreat simple or rotating. Kwan Sau to stop roundhouse kicks and allow follow ups with various techniques (Pak Sau, Tan Dar, etc ...) and Kwan Sau used along with Bong Gurk to cover an entire side of the entire body against unexpected attacks. Each of these would need an article to explain, but let's take a quick look at this one in particular.

Answering Pak Sau with Kwan SauKwan Sau as a response to the simpler Pak Sau depends a lot on you relax and re-position your arm removed to cover the area that was artificially created with the Bong Sau that comes from the practitioner who applies the Pak Sau. When the attack comes, you often have no way of responding immediately if you use a very stiff move against the opponents' opponent (Pak), and then you will be breaking the principle of not using force against force ''. You take advantage of Pak Sau's strength from the partner to rotate his arm inside and reposition the Fuk Sau, before out the door in Tan Sau now, it slammed inside.

John uses Pak Sau and tries to punch with his right hand. For my part, I use the same impulse he gave with his left hand to turn and reposition my Pak Sau, now in Tan Sau, barring his movement. The detail is that my right hand does not get inert. When John uses the slap with his left hand and 'drags' my right hand that was in Tan Sau, I also take advantage of that impulse he gives me to bar the hand left him with Bong Sau, obeying the premise that "Every Bong Sau turns Tan Sau / All Tan Sau becomes Bong Sau." Before moving forward with Toy Mah, feeling that he will do the Pak Sau along with these hand movements, I leave with my horse 45 degrees ahead, so that my two waists (pelvic and scapular) can rotate while I perform the Kwan sau '' supported ''

John barred my breakthrough with Kwan Sau. At this angle, notice the Bong Sau of John's right arm; It should be glued to the opponent's forearm in a way that does not give way to any counter-offensive movement. Tan Sau should not follow too much '' out '' or '' down, '' but he must move forward for two reasons; One keep it safe and at the same time ready for any other more direct offensive action. A possible deployment for me in this position would be to use Lap Sau to pull John's Tan Sau down and taking the necessary space, sliding John's own Bong Sau a punch or other attack, keeping the elbow of my punch down. Or, go with another Pak Sau removing John's Tan Sau with a Pak and punching with his left hand, which would force him to use another Kwan Sau, reversing the side ... but that's another story ...

Here I exemplify for John the proper way forward with the base while using Kwan Sau. This is a joint action of the whole body within a single movement. As my left hand is in Tan Sau, covering the area where John's punch would come, so that my Bong Sau in the right hand can have the necessary support and help in the pressure so that his left hand does not have enough room for ' slip 'over my Bong Sau, I walk with my left foot, turning the hip. Some lineages do this same step, with the right foot putting the body more to the side and the turning closing a little more the center. This way you walk is not wrong. But it is not the way we normally do, however, this may be a '' upside down card '' if there is a need to "break the rule."

Teaching Chi Sau and practicing Chi Sau requires a lot of patience, hours and hours of practice. Each movement has numerous possibilities for unfolding, always starting from the analysis of the situations that appear in this game that aims to develop specific skills that will be used in combat.Some guys are going to use Chi sau to give a show, or to impress the laity, or even measure forces against other guys without necessarily having to fight. However, one must understand the motivations; There is no sense in looking at Chi Sau as a '' controlled struggle ''. If a boxeur arrives at his Wing Chun gym and challenges him to a fight, will you call him to do Chi Sau ? He will not respect this ... Some detractors (especially here in Recife) will say I'm talking nonsense and I believe, many will criticize this post ... Basically I like criticism, but in china there is a saying that says' This is YOUR opinion. '' So ... So what if they are related, they can try in practice if I am right or not.

I have already mentioned here that the first memory of a movie I have seen in life, unlike many children watching cartoons or superhero movies, was to watch '' Enter Dragon '' with my father in the old ' 'Session of the Ten', always on Sunday nights, on Sbt. The movie still had the title changed to '' Iron Hand '', or something ... I remember sleeping the entire afternoon of Sunday just to be able to stay awake and watch the whole movie, since my father had told me that it was the most incredible thing I could see and that was much better than the super man '' ... whom I loved! When the 'Enter the Dragon' credits came up on the TV, I was stunned! It shocked me in a way that the next day I was already kicking and punching in the air, playing in my backyard, wanting to be Bruce Lee! Super man? Batman? That nothing ... That was more real than anything I had ever seen!

My father had a magazine about Bruce Lee, who from that day on, I kept stuck and did not leave at all! I was fooling around the magazine and until I was 12, every month I would stand by my dad to get him another Bruce Lee magazine for me. I often accompanied him in the center of the city, and at each newsstand, I would stop and ask the young man; "Is there anything about Bruce Lee there?"

Uma das revistas que eu tinha nessa época era a que tinha no título ''A verdade Oculta'' e que devo ter emprestado á algum amigo que por algum motivo, nunca mais o vi e por tabela, ao livrinho também....At the age of 12, that's exactly what I won; A Bruce Lee magazine I keep with me to this day!Over time, he made a small collection of magazines about Kung Fu. He bought some magazines whenever he could, like Kiai, and BuShiDo, or anyone with Bruce Lee on the cover. Of course, this was a teenage thing fascinated with the world of martial arts until in 1998 I had my first formal contact with Ving Tsun through SiFu Adilson Santos, a disciple of Mestre Rogério Baeta, a direct disciple of Leo Imamura, in the line Moy Yat . My first SiFu had a box full of magazines full of Bruce Lee, Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do and I thought one day I could have a collection as big as his ... but that never happened.One of the magazines that I had at that time was the one I had in the title '' The Hidden Truth '' and that I should have lent to some friend that for some reason, I never saw him again and by table, the book too ....

Many years later, already in Salvador, on my first trip to the home of my current SiFu, during the three days I was there, I realized that SiFu was not a fucked-up guy;A large bookstore is kept there with various titles, including - of course - about kung fu, wing chun and related subjects that were part of the collection;I then read, for the first time, the book Ving Tsun, from my Sigung Li Hon Ki, with a special autograph with its traditional stamp and dedication to my SiFu.I was very excited to be a rarity, and in my issue of the book '' Wing Chun Kung Fu, Bruce Lee '', authored by my SiFu, he made a dedication in the same vein as the dedication his SiFu had made forit a few years ago.

Mentioning with some friends friends on the social networks about this passion for books and magazines on martial arts and specifically about the desire to reread that same book by Bruce Lee from the red cape and the fact that I would also like to reread the work of my Sigung,in the week that Bruce Lee would be 77 if he were alive (on November 27) I was surprised to receive an envelope with these two books in my house!A great present and a great surprise!

I would like to thank the reader immensely for sending me the books as a gift and for the rest of my life.I will not name the reader as a matter of ethics, but this proves how much this Blog has really touched people and I sincerely hope that it can make a difference.That you, my friend, can post every post, feel motivated to practice Wing Chun, or any other martial art, seeking your complete understanding and seeking your development, technical, physical, spiritual and as an active individual in society.These are my sincere wishes to the reader and my sincere thanks.

Probably, over the last few months, the reader friend may have noticed that blog posts have become increasingly fickle. Yes it's true. That's because as I may have mentioned here, a lot of the free time I had in the week's deccorer has been getting more and more scarce and it has really been difficult to adjust everything. Still, I have been following with interest on the most varied subjects of the moment and whenever possible, I have begun these ill-drawn lines, trying to give priority to the things that are really important to me.Taking advantage of the moment with friends, training partners is always very good, as the conviviality brings people closer. Always before we begin our practice session, we always have long informal conversations and for some period we talk about how to train wing chun in our city, about life trivia and things like that and in this process, we are discovering the universe of each one who comes to train with us and on the other hand, we are letting ourselves show our aspects.

One of the talks over the past week has surrounded the '' ethical '' martial issue. Usually I do not usually talk about other schools in public, but I prefer to incorporate the behavioral idea of ​​how to have an ethical martial stance, giving examples of what we do not do. From the smallest things to the greatest things, it is necessary to be tactful, to have kung fu. Knowing how to behave, how to behave, how to get in and out of places and / or situations. So giving a very minimal example ... We have a youtube channel linked to the blog, okay? We do not post videos or images from other schools, or we take videos from other channels without authorization to gain views, or to attest to certain placement. If a person can not have an ethical stance with the least, with something so small with this, how could he have something bigger?In the same way, one of the most important things I always try to emphasize is that I do not put myself in a position that does not fit me. Although I know the responsibility I have to be a disciple of my SiFu, everything is really simple; Not even Yip Man claimed to be a keeper. I still feel extremely uncomfortable when some student calls me SiFu, because just like them, I'm on the same walk, I only started a little earlier than they ... In 1998 it was my first contact with Wing Chun and even then, in particular, do not place myself in the position of seniority or "master", or "lord of wisdom," "style-maker," "ninja," or whatever, understand? , I have a lot to improve, we all have!

Some instructors like to be in the position of life counselor, guru, or anything that has nothing to do with training, and I believe they can even meet that demand well. But still, 90% of the guys who claim to be masters and put themselves in a position of "guide", do not understand anything about Wing Chun ... At least not Wing Chun for real!Anyaway, we continue with our work, executing it as best we can, working as hard as we can. The spirit with which Wing Chun is to be practiced is not pompous, it is not in the mystical or exotic firts that are to be found there, nor in the vaults of technical secrets and such.At these times, I always remember what my Si-HIng Luke once told me and I try to reproduce; - "What martial art sells today is fancy, efficient martial art is ugly and nobody wants ..."

For this reason, we do not look at the work of anybody, but rather we focus on doing ours and well done, within what we can do. Still, we have a lot to walk around. In the video below, some of our regular training in fighting techniques shows only a little of what we do is arduous, repetitive, tiring. But at the end of a long workout, the smile of those who have the awareness that they are always giving their best pays all day ...And that's it, man!

segunda-feira, 20 de novembro de 2017

(During my personal training to return to the school of my SiFu, in the square of Hipodromo)

While I do my Wing Chun (Chum Kiu) second-level Fighting Drills training in an extra training on the Hipodromo park (an old racetrack square), on a late afternoon on a cloudy Tuesday, I watch a small group of people arrive, holding purses and using shirts printed with various logos - probably of academies and championships - that at first I can not identify due to distance, which makes me think about how old the age is coming and that in other times, I could read even in adverse conditions.Anyway ... I stay in mine and accustomed to the looks of people when I do these open workouts, I'm still doing my workout. I still have to wait for my brother to come from work to get a slow negotiation done during the week and well, when he arrives , will find me very tired. The training is going well, that's what matters ...Anyway, at the same time that I am moving, I am filtering the movement that occurs around the square. Since I escaped from an incident in a restaurant with my wife a few months ago, I learned not to wear a cap and it has become customary to be talking to someone and observing everything around them, no matter where they are. I'm not confused about what I'm training, but some cannabis users who spend all day protruding, the movement of the city's academy, and passers-by who occasionally stop to try to understand what we're training - after all, what kind of weird moves Are these guys training? - the guys who are coming in, laughing, talking loudly, start to get organized to start some activity.- '' It must be some pirate kickboxing of this life '' .... I think almost without time of using Lan Gurk (to bar with the leg) to close the heavy circular kick that my student Eduardo sends me well in the head; Although softly, he learned to kick loudly ... and strong - '' With a thousand devils, this guy almost hit me '' ... But no, not this time, man!One of the guys speaks louder than the others. It's the leader, obviously. The guy throws one of the backpacks on the grassy ground of the square and talking about what it seems to me to be about self-defense aspects, goes looking for his objects. I do not pay that much attention. After all, in addition to everything I learned from my SiFu on the subject, I'm not that interested and at the moment, we were getting ready to do boxing - in order to focus on hand techniques - I should have been careful about the blows that go come on top of me in this workout ...The man takes a simulacrum of the firearm (of those 40-point gun models for the police's exclusive use in Brazil) and two simulacra of blades that are more than 30 centimeters long, and the chatter goes on laughing. It is a group that is apparently intertwined. 5 or 6 people, more or less, two women, one accompanied by the probable teenage son, I think. As I go about using combined techniques like Gip Sau / Siu Kwan Sau, I'm using my footwork to be in a better position where I can hinder the angle of my partner - who continues to attack me - and to better observe what they are doing. I still have two rounds to do; "Oh my God ... I should do at least two more extras ... Shit, I should focus more attention here! '' I think.In one of the breaks between one round and the other, I stop to watch what the guys are doing. No one really bothered to observe these open workouts, as long as you have a certain distance and do not disturb. I see the teacher being grabbed in the back by one of the guys who wears a tie with his left hand to fasten his neck while his right hand rests the sham firearm against his head. The second striker is facing him, holding one of the knives in his right hand, hesitating to move forward. Meanwhile, the defender is giving orders and explaining what he would do in this type of situation, trying to explain the behavioral psyche of the aggressors; It seems a very difficult situation for him ...When the teacher gives the signal with a shout of '' Go! '', The attackers advance. First of all, he manages to move out of the position in which he is in a rather outrageous move, holding the right arm of the first bully with the firearm while the second, still hesitant, takes one step forward and two stops. behind; Yes, the teacher says that his ferocious moves against the first aggressor can impress the second guy and give him enough time to reposition himself. But before that, he manages to take the gun from the opponent's hand and flee from his right flank, positioning the weapon - now in his possession - positioned in an inverted way. The guy with the knife comes on and on, with a cry of; "Get out, get out, get out," he simulates four shots. Two on each offender. Follow the teacher's explanation, out loud, of course ..."Its over, Finished, boys! This is what you have to do in such a situation. And you have to act fast! If you think hard and do not fit the key as it should be, you're going to die! 'It's better to kill than die!'- '' What the fuck ... They will die before that ... '' I think to myself ... I continue to drink my water and the interval of the round is almost over ...- '' Life is different from the competition, boys! There is no second chance in life! Look ... He put the gun in my head and I was negotiating, groping the right time to act ... until ... boommm, I acted and it was already! ''Looking at all of this, I can not no remember my Si-Hing Eduardo and the loss we had in our school a few years ago and how hard it hit SiFu and all of us. Eduardo that for what I know and saved the mistake, arrived the same day I went to Salvador for the first time and was a great guy! I loved to chat with him when we could. Well, I'm not going to go through it all again because it would be too painful ... But I'm really down with it.I'm even more impressed how fantasy, non sense and all these nonsense are embedded in the martial and how much it SELLS a lot! I'm going for two extra rounds and when my brother arrives, I try to turn against a combination of Jab, fucking, Jab, crossed and straight that my partner tells me to break my rhythm and take my time on the counter. Well, I go out by the flanks and I release a first Pak Da looking at the punch in the ribs, to come back with an over hand with my back hand looking at the chin. My opponent retreats leaning back. I follow with a second Pak Da reversing my base and I follow to left Soh Gurk closing a combo; As my partner stepped back two more steps and returned to the guard, he gave me time to breathe and restart the game. I get some looks of disdain from some of the guys from the self-defense teacher group, probably students with less training time ... Well, anything, we have a couple of extra gloves right here ..."Hey, get the guys out there." I tell to my brother discreetly and I return to my last round. I do not pay more attention to the guys or the teacher, but I notice that my brother observes the training of the staff with curiosity. When we finish, we go home talking about it in the car. While my brother was driving, I mention how much I do not believe in these methods and I mention to him the SiFu articles about the Personal Defense Fallacy in his blog (http://brazilianwingchun.blogspot.com.br/2013/01/defesa-pessoal-falacia-da-pilantragem.html) and an episode reported on his facebook. My brother was private security and worked long armed, having experiences in street fights and conflict stubs. He cuts through the conversation and starts telling me;"Dido, you did not see why you were picking up a lot," he says, making the typical little brother jokes. "But the guy was teaching you to throw a .40" with an inverted fist and with no support. I did not even care about the fucking moves he was making, which is clearly stupid, but until he got where he came, if it was real, he would already be dead. But let's say that in a hypothetical case, even in a world where it works, if he shoots that way, the kick that the gun will give will rip his hand. If it were a weapon of another heavier caliber for example, without proper support and positioning, it would give a deep cut, even an arm displacement ... that's clear in an extreme case. And come here ... Since when did he think that an inexperienced civilian is going to be able to shoot someone the way he was proposing? And since when civil has the same coldness of a military? Since when does he think he can do all this and still say he will escape unharmed? This guy must be crazy or watch a lot of movie ... Simulacro is great to make fun, but in real .... is not so beautiful to take a shot in the mouth ... even more for free. ''The problem is not even that. The fact is that all this falls on what so much SiFu speaks that is more or less this; "If you have to react to a situation, it's because all your preventive strategies have already failed."I go home and my brother follows his path. I can not help but notice the blade positioned strategically near your driver's door. He makes no mention of it, but realizes I realize. When we lose ourselves, we embrace and hear one; - '' I'll give you a present ... ''."Ok, man!" I wait. Next week I'll go to our parents 'house and see you there.'It was a good end to the day, after all ...